The Mace was presented to the Legislative Assembly on 17 May 1979 by the Commonwealth Parliament to commemorate the granting of Self-Government to the Northern Territory. The then President of the Australian Senate, Senator the Honourable Condor Laucke, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honourable Billy Snedden, MP, travelled to Darwin to participate in the ceremony at which the Mace was presented.

Garrards, Royal Jewellers to Her Majesty, were commissioned by the Commonwealth Parliaments to manufacture the Mace.  It is crafted in gold and silver gilt and weighs approximately 4.2 kilograms.

To symbolise the relationship between the Northern Territory and Westminster Parliamentary tradition, the Mace incorporates elements of both legislatures. On its crest is the St George Cross, which signifies the British Parliamentary system. The top of its orb is decorated alternatively with the St George Cross and the French fleur-de-lis and the orb proper contains Her Majesty's cypher and a presentation inscription. Stylised wedge-tailed eagles, one of the Northern Territory's faunal emblems, support the orb. The staff is intertwined with the Tudor Rose, the symbol of the British Parliament; Sturt's Desert Rose, the floral emblem of the Northern Territory; and a spider conch shell is located at the base.

The Mace looks like a club, which is what it really is. Centuries ago, clubs were used in battle and it became the custom for a king to carry his club - or have a servant carry it for him - even when there was no war, as a sign of his power. At the start of each day's sitting of parliament, the Mace is carried into the Chamber by the Serjeant-at-Arms who announces the arrival of the Speaker.